School board reverses course on some school assignments; lowers bond request amount

Tuesday

Jul 2, 2013 at 9:48 PM

Neighborhoods' elementary pupils can go to Blair, Ogden for 1 year

By Pressley BairdPressley.Baird@StarNewsOnline.com

After months of some residents asking for a change, the New Hanover County Board of Education decided Tuesday to change its mind on a 2008 decision. That 5-year-old vote centered around neighborhoods that were in the building stages in 2008. Back then, the board decided to send students who would live in those neighborhoods to the then-newly built Castle Hayne Elementary. Those neighborhoods were in the Ogden Elementary and Blair Elementary school districts. On Tuesday, the board decided to let those students attend Ogden and Blair for the 2013-14 school year only. The debate began in May by families in the Anchors Bend neighborhood off Middle Sound Loop Road, across from Ogden Elementary. The neighborhood was launched in 2007, but went bankrupt during the housing market crisis. It was one of 22 housing developments that were still in the building stages in 2008 during the last round of elementary school redistricting. All of those neighborhoods were assigned to Castle Hayne Elementary School. Anchors Bend residents say their children, who include eight elementary students, should be able to attend Ogden Elementary, which is across the street from their neighborhood. Their argument is that Anchors Bend was an already established development in 2008, with paved roads and homes under construction, unlike the other neighborhoods. But the school board had said it believed the intent of the 2008 board was to send students who lived in neighborhoods with no occupied homes to Castle Hayne Elementary. Four of the seven current board members – Janice Cavenaugh, Ed Higgins, Jeannette Nichols and Don Hayes – were on the board in November 2008. Hearing Tuesday that the decision would affect just a few students, including Anchors Bend residents and about five students in other 2008 neighborhoods, the board decided to make an exception for one year. Board member Derrick Hickey brought up the idea, with Higgins officially making the motion.The board members also heard an update about a proposed bond referendum they last discussed in January. The original list, which district officials had said would be whittled down, included 25 projects with a $284 million price tag. After discussions with the county, district staff is now preparing for a $160 million bond, including about 14 projects, to come before voters in 2014, said Eddie Anderson, director of planning for the district. Board members will discuss the bond further at their July 24 retreat. But Hayes and Superintendent Tim Markley made a point to note that the county had agreed to work with the district to begin building a new elementary school in the northern part of the county as quickly as they could acquire land. "That makes the 2014 date workable," Markley said.